00;00;13;09 - 00;00;41;01
Chris
That's why you got to know God's Word and why theology really, truly does matter. Why? I love to to preach God's Word and why I try to do it so passionately. Because it's not just facts or things that that don't really matter to the day to day or of our lives. They literally matter in everything we do, every environment we live, every relationship that we are in.

00;00;41;04 - 00;00;44;18
Brenton
Welcome back to further I'm Britain. Grimm. Welcome, Chris. How are you doing?

00;00;44;25 - 00;00;47;04
Chris
Pretty good. Looking forward to this discussion. How are you?

00;00;47;07 - 00;00;51;29
Brenton
I'm doing well. Yeah. It's still beautiful outside, so I'm happy. It doesn't get.

00;00;51;29 - 00;00;52;12
Chris
Much better.

00;00;52;12 - 00;00;53;22
Brenton
Than this. No. It's great.

00;00;53;23 - 00;00;57;07
Chris
My favorite time of the year. Yeah. Driving. Well, how about you?

00;00;57;14 - 00;01;01;00
Brenton
Well, mine's just leaving, so some are.

00;01;01;02 - 00;01;02;04
Chris
You're a warm weather guy.

00;01;02;04 - 00;01;15;09
Brenton
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. My, my wife disagrees with me, but. Oh, yeah. That's why we always have a fan in our room. In our house is kept at 50 degrees year round. So.

00;01;15;12 - 00;01;20;29
Chris
Anyway, yeah, we'll just get ourselves into trouble if we continue this year. Sure.

00;01;21;02 - 00;01;43;07
Brenton
Before we get into the, the rest of the episode, I did want to follow up on the, D group announcement, that we had on Sunday. I think that possibly the, the group we have listening to the show would really benefit from, from joining one of these D groups. And so keep that up in front of you guys.

00;01;43;09 - 00;02;02;04
Brenton
as we continue to kind of push this out to the public, really want to encourage you to look into this, because it's it's a great way to grow deeper in your knowledge, but also in relationship with God and also in relationship with, the people in your group. I just wanted to mention that. Brennan.

00;02;02;04 - 00;02;05;14
Chris
Would you say it? So another way to go further.

00;02;05;16 - 00;02;11;06
Brenton
You could say that's secondary to to the podcast, I think. But yeah.

00;02;11;09 - 00;02;12;25
Chris
Anyway, further to.

00;02;12;27 - 00;02;25;19
Brenton
There you go. okay. So you ended, the prolog of John this week had all these, three messages. How do you think all those went?

00;02;25;21 - 00;02;31;25
Chris
Yeah. Well, you're asking me to evaluate my own preach. Is that what you're doing? I don't know.

00;02;31;25 - 00;02;32;28
Brenton
I'll give you my notes. but.

00;02;32;28 - 00;02;57;03
Chris
I, I really, you know, I, I walked away of it from from Sunday, to be honest with you. I just like. Yeah, this why I do it. and I shared obviously a, much compressed, study week, and yet just, one of the amazing passage and just to see the the wonderful truths there and, and really, in many ways, only scratching the surface.

00;02;57;03 - 00;03;17;12
Chris
Yeah. It's like, could have done it even a series just, verse 14 alone didn't really, hardly talk about verse 18 had touched up based on it a little bit. Maybe we'll get into that a little bit more here today. But there's a there's a ton there. Part of the reason though, I, I kind of I mean, we could have spent a lot more time on the Prolog for sure.

00;03;17;12 - 00;03;31;23
Chris
But part of the reason we didn't is because I come back up to, I'm sure, again, and, and one of the risk of spending too much time on the first 18 verses is then by the time you're in to say chapter ten, it's like, okay, we've talked about this already.

00;03;31;23 - 00;03;33;02
Brenton
And I remember back a year ago.

00;03;33;09 - 00;03;49;01
Chris
And, and it's so not that we can't always again learn more verses. One of the reasons we do this podcast. But, I think it's, there's been, some of my, my favorite messages I've done for a long time in the last three weeks. And it's great because we're just getting started.

00;03;49;06 - 00;04;16;03
Brenton
Cool. Yeah, I, I agree, I think they've been really good. And, there's, there's so much depth here that, can't exhaust it, but you've done a good job of tying it in practical application. So, okay, let's start off with, you spent some time talking about God's glory. and this is a term that, you know, is thrown around a lot in, in the church world.

00;04;16;05 - 00;04;41;01
Brenton
I think it could be helpful to give some more thought, to it, to, you had quoted Dr. Carson and said, that God's glory is supremely his goodness and typically, God's glory is described as, you know, his weightiness or his importance. So how how did he get to narrowing in on his goodness, specifically?

00;04;41;03 - 00;05;05;13
Chris
The first thing I would say is, I think that the word glory is a very rich term that, it certainly does mean weightiness or important. That's the the essential meaning of the word and, you know, C.S. Lewis actually has a book called The Weight of Glory, but one of his more well known books, at least theological books.

00;05;05;13 - 00;05;38;25
Chris
And, so that that's what it means, maybe kind of in its essence. And there there is a lot to be said there about how it's about how significant God is, how how much weight he should be in and how important he should how, how great he is. but I think the this idea of his goodness is, is really speaks more practically in a kind of, a way that we can get our hands or, our arms around, a little bit better.

00;05;39;00 - 00;06;02;23
Chris
And where Carson and I try to show this is, again, Exodus 3234, where Moses says, show me your glory. God responds by, saying, you know, I'm going to have my goodness pass by you. Then I'll declare the name of the Lord. We gotta remember, name in scripture refers to a person like who? That who they are.

00;06;02;23 - 00;06;38;21
Chris
They're they're their character. And so. So God said, I will be gracious to him, a gracious of mercy, to whom I will show mercy. And so his his glory is his goodness, as evidenced by his grace and mercy, her steadfast love and faithfulness. And so, I think this is I don't know, this didn't resonate with with others, but it really resonated with me as I was thinking like who God is at his core, his glory, his magnificence, his weight is seen in in his the goodness of him, just showing grace and mercy to, to sinners.

00;06;38;21 - 00;07;05;03
Chris
I think the context is so important to have. Maybe they have just sinned in the most significant way in the entire Old Testament. And that's seen a lot, because there was a lot of it. But, it's just crazy, isn't it? The thing, you know, God who just miraculously freed them from slavery and then you got the Red sea, and then he just, you know, for, a few weeks, I guess a, you know, almost six weeks.

00;07;05;03 - 00;07;27;14
Chris
So it's a it's a little bit of time. Yes, but still, still, it's not that long ago. And here they are before long. And they're just, you know, and I talked about the sexual practices that went along with worship in the Golden Cabin. That's the lighthouse. But, but those are practices they had learned from the pagan nation.

00;07;27;14 - 00;07;53;04
Chris
So they're already, like, just picking up all these things and immediately and and so, and so God's reaction to that is there is wrath and there is. And so there are people who actually die because of that. That's part of the story, too. But the the overarching response to God in, in that situation is grace and mercy, and that's his.

00;07;53;07 - 00;08;22;28
Chris
That's goodness. how good man. He's good. And the goodness there, I think, is what Carson has. Point. He's just point out what the text says is like his glory is seen in his goodness. Like, how amazing is that? How great is that? And what is amazing and great? It's, well, about God. It's a lot of things. Power, you know, omniscience, certainly holiness, but that those are not the things that hear when Moses says, show me your glory.

00;08;23;01 - 00;08;42;11
Brenton
Yeah. So, yeah. So when when Moses went up on on Sinai, he was there for six weeks. You said, what do you think caused them to to lose sight? Was it was it just the absence of, you know, God's presence there? What do you think happened there?

00;08;42;14 - 00;09;10;20
Chris
Yeah, that's, that's a really good question. I think it's, you know, I think it can be, argued that maybe the greatest fall of the people of Israel, in the Old Testament is that they just read but forgot, they failed to remember. And we see this, in the Psalms. it's just we see this repeatedly about how they forgot.

00;09;10;20 - 00;09;36;02
Chris
They forgot. They failed to remember, they failed to remember. And they then of course, that's what we do too. And how quickly do we do it? Like God saves us or provides for us or something significant? And a week later we're eating, or maybe not even a week later is the next day or whatever. and so, but I think that they also probably were afraid, you know, they lost their, they, their home.

00;09;36;02 - 00;10;04;00
Chris
It wasn't a great home, but that's all they knew. And they're in a desert like we've been they've really felt like they've been abandoned, which I think that that's how a lot of times gets us into trouble is we feel like, okay, guys left us. So we got to figure this out on our own. and what's interesting is, you know, if you read the text that they, they were actually, worshiping the Golden just like as the, as the Lord.

00;10;04;03 - 00;10;24;25
Chris
So they wanted a visible representation. So they wanted to be able to see and instead of fate trusting by, by faith and you know, the writer of Hebrews talks about that, but that's what it was. It wasn't like they were completely abandoning Yahweh. We want a physical form of him.

00;10;24;28 - 00;10;27;01
Brenton
So a lot of lessons that could be learned there probably.

00;10;27;01 - 00;10;50;11
Chris
Yeah. yeah. Everybody yet to read this story. It's amazing story. I was my favorite parts of it is you know Moses comes down and confronts his brother and he says like, what did these people do to you? And Aaron says, you know, I just do the gold and the fire and out comes this, this calf isn't it was like it just it just popped out like it did itself.

00;10;50;11 - 00;10;58;22
Chris
And, so there's a little bit of humor, actually, in the story in the midst of a lot of, you know, sadness there, too.

00;10;58;22 - 00;11;23;00
Brenton
Yeah, yeah. So then I guess getting back to my original question, what is it? What does it mean to glorify God? You know, we we say that a lot, that we seek the glory of God or we want God to be glorified? What what is that? Is that just, us ascribing to him the weight and he does different than worship?

00;11;23;02 - 00;11;46;15
Chris
No, I think it it is worship. I think in some ways it's the definition of worship. It goes back to what you said. It's weightiness or importance glorify God is to give him the weight or the importance that he deserves. and that means not just in singing. Sunday morning. It's life like. So I think an important word here, very biblical word, is the fear of the Lord.

00;11;46;17 - 00;12;17;18
Chris
Maybe, maybe. Good to talk about that is another where like fear, we tend to think that means to be afraid. And there is a component of, you know, there's a yes, but it's more, that we're really to stand in awe of how great, how good he is, great he is, and how powerful, how mighty, how all knowing and just to to like, live our lives in in respect to that like in continue like the fear of the Lord is beginning to wisdom.

00;12;17;18 - 00;12;31;27
Chris
What does that mean? It means I'm going to live my life is the recognition. I'm going to live my life. in light of who he he is and what he has done. and that's what it means to to worship.

00;12;31;28 - 00;12;51;10
Brenton
Yeah, yeah. Speaking of fear of God, I mean, every time you see one of these encounters in the Old Testament of somebody coming, like, face, it does look a lot like fear. It looks a lot like terror. and so not not to discount any of that because that's certainly the case. No.

00;12;51;17 - 00;13;14;02
Chris
Well, and, and to keep me on track today because there's so much you're talking about. But Isaiah six is important, you know. So Isaiah gets vision of the throne room of God. And he sees he sees he doesn't actually see God, but he he sees as a manifestation of his glory. So he falls at his feet as Oded, which is a very common.

00;13;14;04 - 00;13;27;28
Chris
And we see that all throughout the Bible. But then, God sends the angel, he basically takes a high call and puts it on Isaiah signs. But the symbolism there is you're, for forgiveness.

00;13;28;00 - 00;13;29;08
Brenton


00;13;29;10 - 00;13;57;29
Chris
Of your sins have been atoned for. And so yes, there is a response of like of of, of fear, like of I'm over, I'm undone, you know, a man of unclean lips. That's what he says. for I've seen the Lord Almighty. but we also can be come before the throne with boldness. Circumference. Hebrews tells us so there's it's it's a it's a mixture.

00;13;57;29 - 00;14;09;05
Chris
It's a holy fear. But it's also, we don't have to be afraid of God. Yeah, but but to stand in all of him.

00;14;09;11 - 00;14;36;13
Brenton
Yeah. Yeah, we're totally off topic now. But going along with that, I mean, I think there are kind of two ditches that people can fall in either, you know, there's the or there's only grace. And and I think that to some extent, we probably see that in the church today where there's almost complacency because they've lost the fear, the fear of who God actually is.

00;14;36;18 - 00;14;40;26
Brenton
And so, yeah, to two sides to look out for.

00;14;40;29 - 00;15;01;27
Chris
But this is important. Romans 318 Paul says there's no fear of God in their eyes. Yeah. And, when there's no fear, God in your eyes, that probably means you're not a believer. And the people in the church, just because you're in the church doesn't mean that you're a believer. And, we got to be careful, even as.

00;15;02;00 - 00;15;08;14
Chris
It's dangerous, to fall in the hands of the living God. And so.

00;15;08;17 - 00;15;14;15
Brenton
is there a difference between how God's glory is shown in the Old Testament versus the new?

00;15;14;17 - 00;15;44;10
Chris
I think so, I think the Old Testament foreshadows the glory of the New Testament. as Paul talks about in First Corinthians 13, in a different way. you know, we see in the glass dimly here, so we don't even see the glory fully. Now. And, and I think it was even dimmer in the Old Testament because, we, we just get pictures of it here, here, and, you know, and Moses got to see it more than probably anybody.

00;15;44;10 - 00;16;09;17
Chris
The burning bush, the God would come down into the tabernacle and meet with with Moses. we see, you know, various different displays of God's glory. But it was here and it's kind of here and there. and what the is the God's glory came in a person and walked on this earth. And the story of the New Testament is the story of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

00;16;09;17 - 00;16;17;07
Chris
And so it's all about God's glory, coming here in human and human form.

00;16;17;10 - 00;16;36;01
Brenton
Right? Okay. So you had touched on this a little bit on Sunday, but, this passage really shows that Jesus is a further revelation of who God is. what what would be the other ways, that he's revealed himself to us?

00;16;36;03 - 00;17;23;29
Chris
Yeah. I mean, the two primary ones would be, Paul talks about that in Romans one. We we God. God reveals himself in nature so that we should be able we can look, Paul says in nature and see that there is a God, there's a creator. it tell us everything we need to know to know God. but, so guys reveal himself through, science, through, I mean, that's a one of the primary ways is we make discoveries about how the body works or technology, or we can see the start, you know, we can see, you know, telescope and get a little nerdy here, but, like.

00;17;24;01 - 00;17;47;03
Chris
And see, the galaxy is pretty crazy. You know, it is. It's amazing. And, you know, so there are things that we can God has revealed to us. and then the second way is through through Scripture, not through the Bible. Let's help. God reveals himself to us. and those two things, when they're rightly understood, they go hand in hand.

00;17;47;03 - 00;18;08;04
Chris
They don't contradict one another. there are things in nature that the Bible that tell us about God that the Bible doesn't tell us. So, about God. And there are a lot of things that the Bible tells us about God, that nature is never going to tell us. God is the, we need the biblical revelation in order to truly, to truly know God.

00;18;08;04 - 00;18;16;24
Chris
We can know about God through nature. We can't know God through nature. We can only know God through his revelation. in the Scripture.

00;18;16;29 - 00;18;33;20
Brenton
You know, this might be kind of a basic question going to talk about why what makes Jesus the fullest revelation we have? What what knowledge did he bring to us about? about who God is through, his incarnation?

00;18;33;23 - 00;18;58;08
Chris
Yeah. I mean, I just read a passage and make a very brief comment on it, but Hebrews one's very passage in this discussion, and it starts long ago, at many times, in many ways. God spoke to our fathers by the prophets Old Testament. Yeah, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, through whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

00;18;58;11 - 00;19;19;14
Chris
Similarly so on John one is the radiance of the glory of God, and the exact imprint of his nature, a radiance of glory. God is kind of like light. Rays are the radiance of the sun, right? Okay, so it's how we see the light rays of how we see the sun. So Jesus is how we see the father.

00;19;19;17 - 00;19;47;16
Chris
John one. We'll see this again throughout. But then he is the exact imprint of his nature. So he he is exactly what God is, is like. and and so when the man Jesus who walked on this earth for roughly 30 years or so, he embodies what God is like, the fullness of deity dwells bodily in him. Colossians one and two.

00;19;47;16 - 00;20;26;01
Chris
Both, both hit that repeatedly. And so you want to know what God is like. Look at Jesus. And and I think this is going to be so hopefully so helpful. But a lot of people, you know, we we can easily look at you. But Jesus and man Jesus is amazing. And then we have a different view of God the Father like he you know, and he doesn't seem as great to us in, in that it's not a, it's a, I think maybe a natural way, understandable way, because of, you know, it says that all that we have to maybe think that way, but it's just not true is like, if if you you

00;20;26;02 - 00;20;34;00
Chris
look at Jesus and you say Amen, he's loving. Yeah. That's what the father is. And he's kind of the father is. He's powerful as the father is and he's gracious.

00;20;34;00 - 00;20;58;25
Brenton
And so yeah, well, we even see that in, in John one, you know, verse 18, no one is the only God who is at the father's side. He has made him known. And so we have, I mean, similar language to, Colossians one where Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He, he is our, our way of knowing who God the Father is.

00;20;58;28 - 00;21;01;00
Brenton


00;21;01;02 - 00;21;23;08
Chris
That, by the way, that imprint means that word. There is character. literally is a Greek word character from which we. Okay, he's the exact character of the image of God. Who? He he's he's who God is not that person. Like, we say, well, that's his character. God's character is found in Jesus.

00;21;23;12 - 00;21;49;04
Brenton
Yeah. Okay. I want to move on to some practical things. So you you mentioned that, we sometimes view others as beyond God's grace. why do you think that is? Is it is it simply us in the weight of our own sin and kind of casting all that blame on on other people? Or, why do you think that happens?

00;21;49;06 - 00;22;27;02
Chris
yeah. I mean, I think one of the answer to that is, is that we just don't comprehend how gracious God actually is. Like we think God's grace has has limits. It's hard for us to comprehend that, like, this could be forgiven or this could be forgiven and this can be forgiven. and I but I do think it's the other the other thing that, like you just brought up is, we we always want to compare you other people instead of to to the standard of Jesus.

00;22;27;05 - 00;22;58;10
Chris
Yeah. And you will always find somebody that theoretically, anyway, is worse off than you like are. They're more evil than you. I'm at least I'm not Hitler, right? Like Hitler's. But like that. People say that so often. Yeah. and that's true. Like, you know, you're not Hitler. Yeah, and I'm not Hitler. But that's the wrong. That's the wrong way to look at it, because we all fall short.

00;22;58;10 - 00;23;22;29
Chris
Romans 324. You all fall short. But it doesn't matter how far short you fall. So if we were to go to, Los Angeles and you and I were to have a competition as to see, if we could swim to Hawaii or not, you might swim farther than I doubt it. I would, but we're we're both going to drown in the ocean.

00;23;22;29 - 00;23;38;22
Chris
Unless somebody gets it. We're not. We're not going to make it. And so at the end of the day, it doesn't do you any good to make it a mile more than me and say, oh, look at, look at me. ha ha ha. You're still in the bottom. We're still at the bottom of the ocean and we're still dead.

00;23;38;24 - 00;24;12;09
Chris
and there, nobody's making it there. And when we recognize that, I think ultimately this comes down to just seeing ourselves. And this only really happens by the Holy Spirit. I was like, yeah, all the things that I have that somebody else has done, but is and and really, if you think about the, the, the primary issue that the Bible condemns is not so much actions.

00;24;12;09 - 00;24;15;03
Chris
It's attitudes, it's pride.

00;24;15;05 - 00;24;16;05
Brenton


00;24;16;08 - 00;24;49;21
Chris
Yeah. You know like you can you can be external tools and you know do all check off all the boxes. But are you proud in your heart. And are you trying to save yourself or that's that is ultimately you know you can you can sin against God by running from him. but you can you can also rebel against God by trying to to save yourself and, trying to save yourself through what you do.

00;24;49;24 - 00;24;50;08
Chris
Yeah.

00;24;50;10 - 00;25;21;06
Brenton
Yeah. Well, and and come back to the, the Hitler example. You're right. That's a very common phrase. But I think one thing we need to understand is the just like Hitler is because God restrains our, our sin, right? I mean, we all have that capacity. I think when we're, corrupted by sin. But God restrains us, even, you know, Second Thessalonians says, for the mystery of the lawless is already at work.

00;25;21;08 - 00;25;39;01
Brenton
Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And so maybe, maybe not. The what he's actually talking about there. But there, there is this, real sense in which God restrains the sin of of humanity.

00;25;39;08 - 00;25;49;10
Chris
Yeah. Shane. said the seed of every sin known to man is in my heart.

00;25;49;12 - 00;25;49;19
Brenton
Yeah.

00;25;49;20 - 00;26;09;08
Chris
And so, do we really believe that and that the only reason that that seed doesn't flower is because God flowering. That's what you're saying. Yeah. and if we really recognize that then all of a sudden God's grace really big.

00;26;09;10 - 00;26;10;03
Brenton
Beyond what we.

00;26;10;03 - 00;26;21;25
Chris
Realized. Right. And not not only the grace just, I mean, let alone the grace that we're alive. Yeah, yeah. But. Period. so last question.

00;26;21;25 - 00;26;34;01
Brenton
I have, you said at one point in your sermon that many of us tend to think that we're saved by grace, but then sanctified by our works. And I think that might have been off script because I didn't see it in your manuscript.

00;26;34;04 - 00;26;37;09
Chris
let's just say you're following my manuscript, right? You.

00;26;37;11 - 00;26;43;26
Brenton
But, what did you mean by that?

00;26;43;29 - 00;27;14;12
Chris
I mean that we have a tendency to believe that we are we are certainly saved by God's grace. It's not of works. Ephesians two right for nine. Bible clearly teaches that. but then we can get this idea that, okay, now, once I'm saved, it's I, it's through my effort that I am going to become more, more godly.

00;27;14;14 - 00;27;49;16
Chris
And there is effort that we need to, to it, you know, discipline yourself. Paul says, for godliness. He tells Timothy that that's effort to discipline your soul to be godly. But Paul also says in, Philippians two, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, okay? For sin you will endure for his good pleasure. Or and I'm going to read these passages because these yeah, these these passages mean a ton to me.

00;27;49;18 - 00;28;15;17
Chris
They've been huge in my life. But, Titus chapter two and verse 11, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people. Okay, great. but don't training us to renounce ungodliness and really passions live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age. So grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation, but it also trains us to to live godly lives.

00;28;15;20 - 00;28;44;23
Chris
So it's not ultimately our effort, but it's God's grace through our effort for for sanctification or, saying Corinthians 514 and 15. Paul says, for the love of Christ controls us for for we are convinced that one has died, and he died for all, that those who live for themselves, but may long, longer lives, but for him who died and was raised.

00;28;44;25 - 00;29;17;00
Chris
and so what controls me is, is Christ love for me. And that's that is what motivates me and gives me the power to actually, faith is I give my selves to the things that help me to grow in my faith. And so, yes, it is different. Our sanctification is different than our justification and that we don't contribute anything to our justification.

00;29;17;02 - 00;29;44;08
Chris
We do contribute things to our sanctification. and it's not just a simply I'm just going to let go and let God. That's not not true at all, but my ability to be able to work out my salvation and give myself to those things, I'm dependent upon God's grace. Yeah, for that and the motivation that actually lead to that is what God has done for me.

00;29;44;08 - 00;30;12;19
Chris
So I, so I, I, I mean, to put it this way, I don't read my Bible, pray I go to church, be generous, serve, in order to earn God's favor. I do it because I already have, and that there's a huge, huge difference. It's it is. It's his grace that motivates me and empowers me to pursue the, what he's called me to pursue.

00;30;12;19 - 00;30;36;12
Chris
Not if I pursue it. Then he'll give me grace. So he he gives the grace, and then that overflows. but if I can just go on here, for a moment, I, I, you know, some of this belief thing, a little bit it's, it's not this idea that we believe in Jesus wants. And John John's really I'm going to emphasize this more as we go through.

00;30;36;15 - 00;31;16;06
Chris
We we have to keep we have to keep believing, leaving and keep trusting in Jesus that God's grace that it's through him we receive grace. Upon going through his fullness, we receive grace upon grace. That's not a one time thing. It's a continual thing. And it's through his fullness. But we believe in his in his fullness. So it's going back over and over again to the gospel and to, to to what Christ has done for us and who God is for us in Jesus day in and day out, moment by moment.

00;31;16;06 - 00;31;41;28
Chris
And as we go into to that, we experience God's grace as the motivation and the power to to make progress in our our Christian life. Or, second Corinthians 318 this is passage right front center because 13 years ago this week, I came and preached my first message at home. And I second Corinthians 318 and so Paul says, there we are with unveiled face clean the glory of the Lord.

00;31;41;28 - 00;32;03;07
Chris
He's actually talking about Moses, back in the tabernacle. So it's similar to what we were talking about this week, beholding the glory of the Lord our being transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another. This comes from the Lord, which is a spirit. So just walk through that where we formed into the image of Jesus.

00;32;03;10 - 00;32;41;07
Chris
We all are believers are. How does that happen as we behold the glory of the Lord, which means look. As we look at Jesus, the spirit comes in and he, works through our beholding Jesus to make us like Jesus. Yeah. And and so it's it is it. That's where it all. That's where sanctification always begins. It doesn't begin with me getting up and reading my Bible in the morning, or praying, or going to church or serving all those things a believers you know should read regularly to give themselves to.

00;32;41;10 - 00;33;09;06
Chris
But but where it starts is looking at Jesus. Because as we look at Jesus and behold, how glorious, how good God is to us in him, you know, that's what transform the spirit transforms us. We don't transform ourselves. But does it? Do we have a part to play in it? Yes, but it's the Spirit's work as he focuses our hearts on Jesus.

00;33;09;08 - 00;33;36;13
Brenton
Yeah, it's really good. And going back to the Corinthians verse, he talked about, you know, it says we are being transformed. This is present tense. And this is the truth that he can be a believer because if we are a true believer, we are being transformed. And, you know, maybe, maybe our effort is, not where it should be, but the spirit is still transforming us.

00;33;36;15 - 00;33;42;24
Brenton
and we should be growing. And so if you're, you know, if you're not seeing that great. That's cause for concern.

00;33;42;24 - 00;34;10;29
Chris
Yeah. And if I can give one more thing, this is another wonderful thing about that passage. We are being transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another, like glory is being born in our lives. To what is glory? Well, I, I go back to the goodness. The goodness in us. we're becoming gracious and merciful, and we are exuding the same type of character traits that Jesus did.

00;34;10;29 - 00;34;32;21
Chris
Now, not all the time, for sure. And we all have a lot of room to go. I'm certainly included in all of that, but that's what's happening. And so we're all looking for glory, right? Yeah. I mean, we all, well, looking for glory. You you as an Iowa State fan has some glory on Saturday right through.

00;34;32;23 - 00;34;35;23
Brenton
It's the only game of cheer against the Hawkeyes or so.

00;34;35;26 - 00;35;03;18
Chris
But there was a glorious moment for Iowa State as that field goal went through the uprights. But in all seriousness, why does that resonate? Like, why is there such a great. Because that's what we're looking for. That's what we're looking for. That's what we are created for. Sin took that away from us. We often search for it in so many other ways, and yet it's available to us as believers the true glory, Jesus that glory.

00;35;03;25 - 00;35;05;28
Chris
Then we become reflected glory.

00;35;06;00 - 00;35;30;06
Brenton
Yeah, it's always good when an episode comes full circle. So good job. Almost like we play in. Yeah. That's true. All right. thank you guys for listening again. Ask it for their podcast.com and be happy to answer some questions here. But next week I to John the Baptist. Here we go. All right. Thanks Chris.